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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27477154">Right on Schedule</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/kabanatawrites/pseuds/kabanatawrites'>kabanatawrites</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Knights - Freeform, Manager reader, fake dating au, other knights members might be mentioned here and there</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 19:42:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>12,777</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27477154</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/kabanatawrites/pseuds/kabanatawrites</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“You know Izumi-chan, you’ll never find a proper girlfriend if you work 24/7” Arashi pointed out to the male sitting across her.</p>
<p>Izumi had zero plans on falling prey to Arashi’s antics with how busy his schedule is during his month long stay in Japan, but he also had zero plans on losing against his friend.</p>
<p>So now Izumi is here to prove his friend wrong by dating Knight’s designated manager during his month long stay in Japan.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Anzu/Sena Izumi (Ensemble Stars!), Sena Izumi (Ensemble Stars!)/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>31</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Im a sucker for fake dating au, so this was bound to happen akfkskdkd.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“You know Izumi-chan, you’ll never find a proper girlfriend if you work 24/7” Arashi pointed out to the male sitting across her as she read Izumi’s schedule for his month-long stay in Japan.</p><p>Apparently, the silver-haired male had just gotten back from Florence, and is currently resting in the cafe within the ES building after his 14 hour long flight. Arashi of course was one of the first to greet him in the building, which led to her accompanying her friend.</p><p>“Why would I even bother getting a girlfriend?” Izumi spat out as he took a sip from his tea. “Sounds like a big waste of time.”</p><p>Arashi unfazed by her friend’s tone of voice just rolled her eyes. With the amount of time the two have spent together, she was already used to her silver-haired friend’s attitude.</p><p>“I’m just saying that it’ll be hard for you to maintain having a girlfriend with your strict schedule!” Arashi said as a matter of fact as she continued to eye the paper she held that contained Izumi’s schedule. “I mean, me and Mika-chan always take time off of our work just so we have time for each other you know!”</p><p>“If you’re just going to nag at me while talking about your stupid love life, you might as well just leave me alone. It’s seriously annoying you know.” Izumi stated as he took the paper that held his schedule from Arashi. The latter only pouting at her friend’s actions.</p><p>“Seriously, not only will your strict schedule, but that mean personality of yours is definitely going to give you a hard time finding someone! You’re lucky to have a friend as patient and understanding as me you know!” Arashi said as a matter of fact as she crossed her arms.<br/>The male in front of her only rolled his eyes being used to his friend’s antics.</p><p>Arashi then turned her head to look at her surroundings as if trying to spot something or someone that should be within the vicinity. When she noted that what she was looking for was not around, she looked back at the male sitting across from her.<br/>Izumi took the momentary silence as a cue for him to study his schedule during his stay in Japan while he continued drinking his tea. He was already emailed a copy of the said schedule before arriving in Japan, but he needed to double check if there were any changes.</p><p>The paper Izumi held not only contained the usual schedule for his work, it also consisted of a concise summary on what the job entails him to do. Each date had meticulous notes on the side telling him of what he needed to do for the job, what is required for him, and all the usual details you would see in a schedule such as the day, time, and location. If anything, he didn’t really need a copy of his schedule this detailed since the Knight’s designated manager will explain everything to them once they meet face to face, or in his case since he lived in Florence now, was either through mail or voice call.<br/>But their manager was different, she was organized, and always having a sharp eye for details despite being a walking disaster. If anything, she was an efficient manager which greatly helped the unit in general, but Izumi will definitely never admit this to her face. Not when he enjoyed seeing that small pout in her face every time he told her off.</p><p>As Izumi smiled while he imagined his manager’s huffed and frustrated expression, the image was eventually cut off by his friend’s voice.“Hey Izumi-chan, isn’t [y/n]-chan with you? I mean she did pick you up from the airport didn’t she?”</p><p>Izumi then looked up from his paper to look at Arashi and replied, “She was in the airport to meet me, only to make me go here on my own with the company driver. Seriously, the nerve of that girl.”</p><p>“Oh my!” Arashi covered her lips as a sign of her surprise as she heard what Izumi had said. “But she never left you on her own! Could it be… Our dear manager is secretly meeting with someone!”</p><p>“Of course not!” Izumi yelled much harsher than he had intended, but when he saw that he got Arashi’s attention, he finally continued to explain. “Apparently our manager had to drag Kuma-kun to a job which he was late for thanks to him oversleeping.”</p><p>After Izumi was done explaining, Arashi hummed in understanding. This incident wasn’t the first after all, it was a normal occurrence already within the unit. But of course there were improvements seeing how Ritsu’s tardy streak had started to lessen the past few weeks, but that doesn’t mean that he didn’t need someone to wake him up from his deep slumber.</p><p>“But you know, wouldn’t it be interesting if our dear manager has a special someone?” Arashi wondered as she rested her chin on her hand.</p><p>Then without warning, Izumi choked on his tea as he heard what his friend had said. Arashi on the other hand only smirked to herself in secret due to Izumi’s reaction. After all, she knew of her friend’s growing affections towards their manager, and she knew that she had to give Izumi small nudges for him to make a move. Though from the looks of it, this wouldn’t be enough for the male, especially with how the only thing running in Izumi’s head was his modelling and idol career, and let everything else be damned. So Arashi knew she had to do something about her friend’s hopeless romantic endeavors.</p><p>“Why the hell would she need a special someone!?” Izumi spoke out, he tried to make it sound like his usual self, but his friend knew it wasn’t. “That crap is just going to distract her from her job.”</p><p>“But you’ll never know! Our [y/n]-chan is very responsible after all~” Arashi stated as a matter of fact.</p><p>Then as if she had been summoned, footsteps were heard and [y/n] stood by the table where Izumi and Arashi sat. The girl’s hair was a mess, her clothes wrinkled all over, and she panted trying to get her breath as she wiped the sweat on her forehead. Izumi wouldn’t be lying if he said that he was disgusted by the girl’s disheveled appearance.</p><p>“A-Arashi-chan, did you just call me? I heard my name when I was walking towards you guys.” [y/n] stated as she slowly tried to regain her breath.</p><p>“Oh my! [y/n]-chan--!” Arashi was cut off mid sentence when Izumi spoke up all of a sudden.</p><p>“You look like crap.”</p><p>[y/n] instantly whipped her head towards Izumi, shocked by what the male had just said about her appearance.<br/>By now, she should be used to his blunt statements, but she can’t help but be shocked each time since it always comes out when she least expects it. Not to mention, she had been on the receiving end of it digitally, through voice calls and emails the past few months, so having to experience Izumi’s harsh words face to face again was somewhat a different experience. (It was worse)</p><p>“Izumi-chan, don’t be mean!” Arashi scolded the silver-haired male sitting across her.</p><p>Arashi then took [y/n]’s hand to guide their manager to sit beside her, which [y/n] was thankful for. The blonde then took the untouched glass of water on their table and gave it to her manager, which [y/n] in turn gratefully took and drank.<br/>Once Arashi was sure that their manager had finally cooled down, she asked the girl beside her what happened.</p><p>“Once I dropped Ritsu-san off for his job and apologized to the client, I instantly went here to look for Sena-san to make sure he arrived safely.” [y/n] explained.</p><p>“That doesn’t explain why you look like a mess.” Izumi said as he eyed the girl.</p><p>“Izumi-chan! Don’t be mean!” Arashi glared at her friend.</p><p>[y/n] on the other hand wondered if she should continue explaining why she looked like she ran a marathon, but in the end she did. Her voice this time was softer seeing how embarrassed she was about what happened, and she knew Izumi was about to insult her for what she was about to say next.</p><p>“I tried asking in the dorms if Sena-san was resting there, and when I heard no one saw him, I kind of… panicked and ran around the entire building looking for him.”</p><p>Then they all went silent. Izumi was the first to break the silence of course.</p><p>“Are you an idiot?”</p><p>“I-I was worried okay!?” [y/n] jumped up off her seat trying to explain herself as she waved her hands animatedly to emphasize her words.</p><p>“You could have just called my phone or something. Seriously.” Izumi replied as he rubbed his temple due to his manager.</p><p>“I… I forgot I could do that.” [y/n] said sheepishly as Arashi made her sit down once again.</p><p>Despite his irritated disposition, he still felt warm at the thought of his manager looking all over for him, worrying about him. He did grow up rather independently, so having someone wanting to look after him gave his heart tiny flutters, but of course he wouldn’t admit this, not to her, not to anyone. Plus, he himself knew that he wasn’t the only one she was looking out for, so in a way, a part of him also felt a stinging pain knowing that he wasn’t somewhat special.</p><p>“Well now that we’re done with that.” Arashi cleared the air. “I just want to say that your timing here is perfect [y/n]-chan!~”</p><p>The girl then looked at Arashi curiously, Izumi on the other hand felt rather skeptical about whatever his friend was about to say. For some strange reason, his gut was telling him that whatever crap that would come out of his friend’s mouth wasn’t going to be good for him. Then as if on cue, Arashi continued.</p><p>“Why don’t you and Izumi-chan date each other?”</p><p>The smile on Arashi’s face seemed harmless, but for the involved parties, it was different.<br/>Both were relatively flustered, but it was less obvious on Izumi’s face. Maybe it was because anger was mixed in with it, but he can’t just let his anger run rampant, so he tried to keep his head cool, but his tone of voice was definitely irritated.</p><p>“The hell do you mean by date each other? Why would I if it’s nothing but a stupid waste of time.”</p><p>Izumi knew he felt a certain amount of attraction towards their manager, but whether it was strong enough for him to want to date her was still a mystery to him, and he definitely had no plans on knowing through this stupid idea Arashi had just brought up.</p><p>“Well I guess if you put it that way.” Arashi huffed in resignation. “I mean, I guess with your mean personality and hectic schedule, no girl would last going out with you. My poor Izumi-chan is doomed to be alone forever.”<br/>The blonde then proceeded to wipe away a fake tear from her eye to emphasize her point.</p><p>“A-Arashi-chan, don’t you think that’s too much?” [y/n] tried to speak up, not seeing where this conversation was heading.</p><p>At this point, Sena Izumi was twitching with irritation. There was no way he’s letting his friend win him over, he was not going to lose this argument.</p><p>“Oi! As if that’s ever going to happen! With my career and looks, any girl would beg me to stay!” Izumi spat out.</p><p>Arashi only shrugged at her friend’s response. “I don’t know, Izumi-chan. How sure are you if you don’t even want to go on a date.”</p><p>“Fine then! I’ll just go ahead and prove it. Seriously how annoying do you have to be?!” Izumi then switched his sights on [y/n] which only made the poor girl freeze. The way Izumi looked right now after all was far from friendly. “You! Starting today, you’re dating me, got that?”</p><p>“Wait, WHAT?!” Their manager replied. At this point [y/n] knew she had no escape in this new mess the unit she was managing for was brewing.</p><p>Arashi on the other hand stood up happily as she clapped her hands. “Good! Now that’s settled, for the next three weeks while Izumi-chan is here, he’ll play as your boyfriend, [y/n]-chan.”</p><p>Without Izumi realizing it, Izumi had fallen prey to Arashi’s plan from the very beginning. It was a losing battle for him from the very start.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It has been a few days since the day Izumi had declared to take up the role as [y/n]’s boyfriend. Arashi had already told the other Knight’s members about it to keep them on the loop, this of course led to some mixed reactions.</p><p>“No fair! I want to play as [y/n]-chan’s boyfriend! Sena, let’s switch!” Leo chimed.</p><p>Izumi only responded, “Like hell I’d switch places with you!”</p><p>“Eh..? You know you can back out now, [y/n]. Sechan isn’t cut out to be a boyfriend.” Ritsu stated in between yawns.</p><p>“Like you’d be any better.” Izumi grumbled towards the sleepy Sakuma.</p><p>“Manager-san, feel free to call me for help. Sena-senpai can be quite ungentlemanly at times, so feel free to rely on me.” Tsukasa voiced out to his manager directly, this of course triggered Izumi nonetheless.</p><p>“Why you cheeky little brat.” Izumi gritted under his teeth.</p><p>Overall, Izumi’s chances in succeeding in this boyfriend scenario seemed rather slim in the eyes of his fellow Knight’s members, but he was determined to prove all of them wrong. Yet here the male was, posing for his fourth modelling gig since his arrival in Japan, and still zero dates with his manager.<br/>
Izumi then realized how hard it was to match their schedules. Not only was he practically fully booked for his entire stay in Japan, [y/n] herself is busy with managing not only him, but the other Knights members as well. Luckily, [y/n] was with him in his current shoot to escort him and make sure all the shots taken doesn’t go against their agency’s guidelines.</p><p>‘I don’t think I have anything else after this photoshoot.’ Izumi thought to himself as he tried to formulate a plan.</p><p>Soon enough, the photoshoot ended, and Izumi tried to look for [y/n] where he saw was sitting in front of a laptop screen with a few staff members. The idol assumed that she was already checking the photos for final approval.<br/>
Before approaching her, the male changed out of his clothes and freshened up a bit. Once he was done, he saw that [y/n] was done checking the photos and started packing up her stuff, which mostly consisted of folders and papers.</p><p>Izumi then approached the girl and tapped her shoulder, “Hey, do you need to do anything else after this?”</p><p>[y/n] shook her head in response. “Nah, this is the only job I needed to monitor for the day. Why? Did you need something?”</p><p>The male then gritted his teeth trying to think of the most casual way to ask her to spend some time with him. He didn’t realize how hard it was now that he was put on the spot, but there was no way he was also backing out now. If he did, Arashi will never stop telling him how he definitely isn’t cut out for the boyfriend role.</p><p>“Just finish packing up so we can get something to eat.” He told her as he turned away from her to walk away.</p><p>“Wait what?” [y/n] asked, clearly confused by what Izumi had just said. Normally, the idol would want to head back into the dormitory to rest up and get ready for whatever he has to do next. And if he was hungry, he’d normally just prepare something once they got back in the ES building seeing how picky he is with his food.</p><p>“I’m hungry and I want to get something to eat, so hurry up already.” He grumbled. “I’ll wait for you out at the entrance, so you better be done in five minutes or I'll leave you.”</p><p>The male then proceeded to walk away. Not giving [y/n] any room for arguments. The manager couldn’t help but sigh at Izumi’s actions.<br/>
She truly can’t understand him no matter how hard she tried.</p><p>If she were honest, Izumi was the one she had the hardest time adjusting to when she first got her job as a manager for Knights. She easily made a connection with the other Knight’s members, but for some strange reason she couldn’t do the same for the silver-haired male. She even took the extra mile when it was a job that involved him, but for some strange reason, he just never seemed pleased about her work or her in general. She felt like there was a wall parting them, and with Izumi having to fly back to Florence every time made it even more remotely impossible to understand him.</p><p>But despite that growing gap between them, she never caved in to her inner demons. She wanted to prove herself to him, and maybe lessen that gap between them somehow. That’s why when Arashi brought up the dating bet between her and Izumi, she wasn’t entirely against it. She wanted to make use of this opportunity to break the walls between them somehow, and maybe this time, he’d actually finally see her for who she really is.<br/>
<br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
“Took you long enough.” Izumi told the girl with his arms crossed. “You’re two minutes late you know.”</p><p>[y/n] only huffed at Izumi telling her off. It wasn’t like she took her time fixing her stuff before leaving, it was just that she also had to bid the staff goodbye! They did need to have a good relationship with their clients after all. But in the end, despite her being late, Izumi still waited for her.</p><p>“But you still waited for me though.” She smiled up at him.</p><p>Izumi only rolled his eyes at her, but his heart definitely felt warm thanks to that smile. No way he was going to admit it though.</p><p>“Annoying.” He muttered. “Just hurry up and decide where we’re going to eat, I’m starving already.”</p><p>“Well… There’s this new place I was hoping to try…” she mumbled a bit, “But I can go there next time! What about you Sena-san? Where do you want to eat?” [y/n] asked.</p><p>Originally, [y/n] planned on checking out this new restaurant that opened near the area where they were now after this job, but she didn’t expect the male to ask her to eat out with him, that is if that’s what he was actually suggesting. She also knew how the male had a strict diet plan, which he himself planned out on his own. Izumi always said how he didn’t want to eat whatever junk everyone else was eating since it was going to affect his physique and overall health. So rather than insisting on eating where she wanted, she decided to ask Izumi his preference instead seeing how it was the safest option.</p><p>Apparently, her option only garnered her a flick on the forehead from the male.</p><p>“Why are you asking me when I asked you first already?”</p><p>“Well..!” [y/n] tried to explain. “I don’t know if you’d like the place I wanted to eat it in…”</p><p>The manager bit her lip, her eyes shying away from him. She knew Izumi meant her no harm despite the irritated look in his face, in fact she was already used to his attitude due to working with him, but there were just times whenever he looked at her and they were at close proximity, she just couldn’t hold her ground and look back at him.</p><p>Izumi on the other hand noticed how she was shying away from him again. He started noticing that she does this more often to him compared to the other unit members which he didn’t really understand why. He treated her normally like he did with others mostly because he wanted her to be much more open to him like how she was with others.</p><p>The male just sighed not wanting to think too deep on this. He also meant it when he said he was hungry, so thinking on an empty stomach isn’t helping much either. Izumi then took her hand which obviously caught the girl off guard. Her cheeks slowly painted a hint of pink due to his actions.</p><p>“S-Sena-san?” She questioned the male.</p><p>“What? Don’t tell me you forgot that I’m supposed to be your boyfriend right now.” Izumi told her without any hint of embarrassment in his voice.</p><p>The girl in return only looked at him wide eyed. Her eyes switching back and forth on their hands and his eyes. Izumi on the other hand only rolled his eyes at her reaction.</p><p>“Come on, you’re wasting my time. Just tell me where this place you wanted to eat at is.” He said as he tugged her along as he started walking without waiting for the girl to speak.</p><p>“Wait, Sena-san!” She said as she tried to match Izumi’s pace.</p><p>“What is it this time?”</p><p>“You’re going the wrong way…”</p><p>Now it was Izumi’s turn to blush, but for a different reason compared to why [y/n] was blushing a while ago. This one was definitely because he embarrassed himself due to his impatient nature.</p><p>“W-Why didn’t tell me earlier!?” He yelled, but [y/n] wasn’t unfazed by this, instead she couldn’t help but giggle at how embarrassed Izumi currently was. She never thought she’d ever see Izumi like this, which definitely gave her a surge of confidence.</p><p>“RIght, I’m sorry your majesty, it should be this way.” she joked as she held his hand tighter and led him to where the restaurant should be.</p><p>Izumi never actually thought that he’d see the day that his manager would joke around with him. His heart completely swelling from the sudden surge of happiness as they continued to walk while holding each other's hands.<br/>
<br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
A fast food restaurant.</p><p>The place his dear manager wanted to eat at was a freaking fast food restaurant. Izumi should have known beforehand, especially with how she hesitated at wanting to bring him here at first.<br/>
The male just couldn’t help but rub his forehead with his free hand hoping it could remove the growing irritation he had.<br/>
Does his manager always eat fast food? He didn’t know, and he didn’t want to know, but he definitely has to change this during their three week dating timeline. There is no way he’s letting his manager live an unhealthy lifestyle under his watch. What exactly was the other Knights member thinking letting [y/n] live an unhealthy lifestyle like this.</p><p>“You should go ahead and find a seat while I order, Sena-san.” [y/n] said as she tugged on Izumi’s hand as she looked up at him. “Just tell me what you want to order.”</p><p>The idol then realized that this entire time, they hadn’t let go of each other’s hands. Not that he hated it. He actually loved it. Her small hand definitely fit his perfectly, he thought. But that wasn’t the important thing right now. What was important is finding something remotely decent to eat in this restaurant they were at.</p><p>Not like there weren’t any choices, in fact, there were a variety of foods written on the menu.<br/>
He scanned it thoroughly and noticed that they specialized in chicken meals, specifically chicken burgers.</p><p>Did Izumi hate chicken burgers? Not exactly. What he hated was the thought that one, it’s made by a fast food restaurant, and two, the thought of eating something that practically took a deep dive in oil and swam in it just disgusted him. But since this was the place where his manager wanted to eat, he just had to suck it in, and order something from the menu.</p><p>“I’ll order for us.” He told her.</p><p>“Are you sure? Aren’t you tired from the shoot? You should just sit down and take it easy.” [y/n] replied.</p><p>“I’m just going to order food, I’m not doing anything remotely taxing.” he said a matter of fact. “Hurry up and just tell me what you want.”</p><p>[y/n] contemplated on Izumi’s words at first before agreeing. She already knew that if she tried to stop him, it would only irritate the male further.</p><p>“Just the chicken burger meal for me.” she said. “Oh! Make sure it’s the spicy one.”</p><p>The small smile on his manager’s face as she excitedly told her order while looking at the menu made the idol smile as well, but he made sure to hide it the instant she looked back up at him.</p><p>“Right right, now hurry up and find us a place to sit.” He said shooing her off with his free hand, yet his other hand continued holding hers.</p><p>[y/n] let go of their linked hands to get something in her bag, he on the other hand was somewhat disappointed at the sudden loss of warmth.</p><p>“I found it!” the girl said as she fished out her wallet from her bag and took out some bills. “Here, for my order.”</p><p>But Izumi didn’t accept the money [y/n] gave him, and told her, “It’s fine, just go ahead and look for a seat already. I can pay for the both of us.”</p><p>Of course [y/n] didn’t accept this at first, but with some convincing with a matching irritated glare from Izumi, the girl eventually caved in. She knew this was a losing battle.</p><p>“I’ll get us a seat in the corner so we can have a bit of privacy.” she said and walked away.</p><p>Once Izumi saw that [y/n] had finally found a seat, he proceeded to order their meals.<br/>
It took him a while to decide what to get, but he decided to just get a simple chicken wrap meal. At least that one tried to be healthy with it having a bit of veggies.<br/>
Once all the food was prepared on the small tray, he carried it to where [y/n] was seated at.</p><p>True to her word, she got a seat for two people by the corner. He placed the food on the table, and sat across from her. The sight of the meal instantly lit up the manager’s eyes.</p><p>“Ah! I’ve been looking forward to tasting this!” She said as she took her food from the tray and placed it on her side of the table. “Thanks for paying, Sena-san! I’ll definitely make it up to you.”</p><p>Izumi only rolled his eyes at her. “You’re seriously annoying. I told you it’s just one meal, stop making a big deal out of it.”</p><p>[y/n] only puffed her cheeks at Izumi’s reply.</p><p>Once the two settled down, they finally started eating, [y/n] obviously enjoying her meal, not realizing that Izumi was stealing glances at her once in a while.</p><p>Though the meal was not of his tastes, he forgot how enjoyable it was eating with others.<br/>
Ever since he had graduated and flown off to Florence, it was much more common to him to eat by himself in silence, practically forgetting how nice it was to eat in the presence of others.</p><p>“Man! This is just as good as I thought it would be.” [y/n] said in between bites. “Wait, no! It’s definitely better! A good chicken burger really is something.”</p><p>The male only shook his head at the girl’s review of the food. But if he were to admit, the food was okay for his standards, but definitely not healthy. Not only that, for some strange reason, despite [y/n]’s messy eating habits, he wasn’t entirely disgusted by it. It actually made the meal more enjoyable due to the energy she brings in.</p><p>“You’re practically eating trash.” Izumi taunted her.</p><p>[y/n] in return gasped dramatically at what the male in front of her had said. “How could you say that to this very good chicken burger! Apologize!”</p><p>Izumi only rolled his eyes but clearly enjoyed the girl’s response as he took a bite of his own food. “It’s fast food, there’s nothing <em>good</em> about fast food.”</p><p>“That’s just mean, Sena-san!” [y/n] pouted, “the fact that it’s fast is already good! An efficient meal if I do say so myself.”</p><p>“Doesn’t change the fact that you’re eating trash.” He pointed at her food. “And can you stop calling me Sena already?”</p><p>The girl across him then tilted her head, only reacting to the male’s latter statement.</p><p>“What should I call you then?” her brows knitting.</p><p>“Isn’t it obvious, idiot? You call everyone by their first names except for me.” He told her casually.</p><p>This was something he started to notice after the few times he got back to Japan before. Every time the entire unit was together, he was the only one called by their last name by their manager.<br/>
At first Izumi didn’t pay it any mind. Seeing how she did initially call everyone by their last names, but once he noticed that he was the only one left, and with the slow growing attraction he had towards her, it made him somewhat jealous that he was the only one left behind.</p><p>“Well that’s because they told me to! And not only that…” [y/n] paused, hesitating what to say next. In truth, she herself didn’t know why she kept calling the male with his last name. Initially it was for respect, but at this point she wasn’t entirely sure. She wanted to call him by his first name, but she wasn’t sure if he’d accept that level of friendliness with her. Yet now that he’s saying it, does that mean Izumi was willing to glass that gap with her?</p><p>Seeing how the girl tried to think of what to say, Izumi just spoke up and continued.</p><p>“Next time you call me by my last name, I’m making sure your workload increases.”</p><p>This definitely jolted the girl. “That’s not fair!”</p><p>“Then you better start learning how to say my name then princess.” He teased while smirking her.</p><p>The nickname instantly flustered the girl, but she knew that Izumi was only riling her up and it was definitely working. There was no way [y/n] was going to let him win, he had done so so many times already, and it was time she got back at him.</p><p>“No fair! I already have so much work handling the five of you! FIVE!” she gestured as she raised her one hand to emphasize the number. “If I knew how troublesome you guys were, I’d have requested to manage Mikejima-san instead! At least there’s only two of them in his unit.”</p><p>“Oi! How dare you say another man’s name in front of your boyfriend!” Izumi told her.</p><p>[y/n] only laughed at the male’s response. She never knew how fun it was to joke around him, and she could tell that the other party was enjoying themselves too.</p><p>“Well, maybe if you were my real boyfriend, I wouldn’t talk about anyone else. She said. “But we’re only doing this for three weeks, so you have to deal with it.”</p><p>That’s right, this wasn’t real. As much as the two of them were enjoying this little banter, they knew it would all end eventually. Though both parties knew that [y/n]’s statement was lighthearted and ill-meaning, the thought of their relationship just being pretend hurt them a bit, but none of them would admit it now.</p><p>Yet a part of [y/n] was still hopeful, because despite everything being temporary, she could feel that the wall between them was slowly crumbling, that Izumi was helping her lessen that gap between them. All she needed to do was make sure she doesn’t fall along the process.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>100% sure everyone in Knights think that izumi is gonna be a terrible boyfriend AHAHHAHA</p><p>anyways!~ high chance chapter updates will be slow since i have a lot of stuff going on right now, but i'll definitely finish this story!~ i already got the entire outline of the story, i just really need to write them down.</p><p>i hope yall enjoy this chapter!~</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ever since Izumi and [y/n] ate together, the two gradually started spending more time together. It even came to the point where the two decided to eat breakfast together every morning at ES building’s cafeteria before they started their own jobs. Which was something the two started looking forward to (but neither admitted)</p><p>What Izumi didn’t realize was how he would end up looking for her, longing for her presence, during his freetime. It even came to a point where the male would go and pick up the girl every time she had a job that didn’t involve him. He even started finishing all his work early just so he could walk [y/n] home.</p><p>The other Knights members also started picking up this new change in their friend, which led to them picking on Izumi once in a while just to rile him up, saying things like, ‘I honestly thought Secchan would give up after the first day.’ or ‘Our Sena is so different now!! The real one was definitely abducted by an alien!!”.</p><p>But despite all this, [y/n] didn’t notice these said changes in Izumi, or at least she just shrugged it off. She knew that she and the said male’s relationship is starting to grow closer each day, but that wasn’t the only thing growing. Her feelings for the idol had started to develop as well.<br/>A simple wanting to understand him is starting to grow into something else, and she wanted to cut that off. [y/n]’s mission after all is just to close the gap between her and Izumi, and nothing more. So whatever feelings that started to bloom within her, she had to cut it off and push it aside. She had to remember that this relationship as a couple was only temporary, and she deemed that whatever growing feelings she had within her will never be reciprocated by Izumi.</p><hr/><p>Today was the first time [y/n] skipped out on eating breakfast with Izumi. She texted the male early in the morning stating that there was an emergency with a client that needed to be dealt with. He didn’t know what kind of emergency it was seeing how the girl left a lot of details unsaid, but Izumi was definitely much more irritable that morning than usual.</p><p>When the male was done freshening up for the day, he decided to skip out on breakfast. He knew doing so would affect his diet, but a nagging feeling kept on creeping up on Izumi as he thought about his manager. So here he was walking through the halls of New Dimension. He wasn’t familiar with the office area seeing how [y/n] always made sure to look for them first things first when something comes up that involves the unit, so the group barely needed to search for her in the office. Add it to the fact that Izumi was always in Florence, so the majority of his conversations with the manager were online.</p><p>As Izumi skimmed through the different rooms and tables, he passed by one of the employees to ask about [y/n]’s whereabouts. The employee of course was caught off guard seeing how the one asking him was Sena Izumi himself.</p><p>“I think [l/n]-san is by her table, it should be in the room where all the producers and managers work. You can find it just at the end of this hall.”</p><p>Izumi thanked the employee and instantly headed towards the given directions. As he got closer to the room, he could hear [y/n] talking. Her voice seemed a bit panicked, and it made the male wonder if it was due to another employee or something, but he couldn’t hear any other voice in the room where the girl was located.</p><p>Once Izumi reached the doorway, he noticed the small number of tables and chairs in the room, and the only person there was none other than his manager who sat by the corner facing the window.<br/>He couldn’t decipher what sort of expression the girl was wearing seeing how her back was turned on him, all he could see was that [y/n] was currently talking to the phone.</p><p>When the idol took a few steps to approach [y/n], the girl spoke up again, with the same anxious voice he heard earlier.</p><p>“I’m really sorry but please understand that before we approve your request, the agency still has to verify the project proposal at least a month before the date of the job.”</p><p>“But aren’t you the manager?!” A muffled voice coming from [y/n]’s phone yelled out</p><p>“Y-yes but… the agency has certain procedures, and we can’t just accept every job on the go. Not to mention the schedules of all Knights members are fully booked this month… I’m really sor—“ [y/n] tried to explain as calmly as possible, but her voice was seriously trembling at this point, and before she could even finish her sentence, she was cut off by the client.</p><p>“Then make some time! That’s your job!”</p><p>“B-but…” at this point [y/n] was at a loss to what to say. She already had a lot of experiences in handling some problematic clients, but this was on top of the list. This one just wouldn’t listen to reason until they got their way. Normally in cases like this, she’d report it to the head of the agency, but apparently that person wasn’t available. She also couldn’t get this client to contact someone of higher position in the agency since this person insists on only talking to Knights manager, deeming it much easier to get what they want.</p><p>“But nothing! I don’t want to hear any more excuses! Either accept the job, or know that you’ll be destroying New Dimension’s reputation as a whole if you don’t!” the voice on the phone said rather threateningly.</p><p>Before [y/n] could formulate a proper response, her phone was suddenly taken away from her. When she turned around, she saw Izumi standing behind her and continued the call for her.</p><p>“Hello?” Izumi called out on the phone.</p><p>“Who's this!? Where is—“ the caller tried to reply but Izumi instantly cut her off.</p><p>“This is Sena Izumi from Knights, so if you want me to do this job of yours, you better change that tone of yours.” The male said harshly.</p><p>[y/n] on the other hand tried to pry her phone from the male, but the male just shoo-ed her away as he continued the conversation.</p><p>“Tell me all the details of this project in less than a minute and i’ll think about accepting it. You’re seriously wasting my time you know!” Izumi demanded the client, not caring whether his tone of voice was professional or not. All he knew was that he didn’t like how this so-called client treated his dear manager, and there was no way he was letting her handle this on her own.</p><p>“Y-Yes, of course!” Suddenly the client’s tone of voice changed, and they instantly explained every detail of the project as quickly as they could.<br/>Izumi on the other hand checked his watch making sure that the explanation was within a minute.</p><p>Once all explanations were done and fitted the given time-frame, Izumi replied. “This Sunday morning, that’s the only day I'll work on this project. If you can’t do it on that day, then consider this project of yours rejected and never bother my manager again or I’m having you reported, you got that?”</p><p>The client instantly agreed to Izumi’s conditions and the call was instantly ended.</p><p>Izumi then turned his attention towards [y/n], she didn't look at him but her expression definitely showed signs of conflict. Was it because of what he did or the client? He doesn’t know, but whatever it was, he needed to reassure her that things will be okay.</p><p>The idol then took one of the girl’s hand, gaining her attention. [y/n] looked at Izumi wide-eyed wondering what he was doing only to realize that he placed her phone on her hands, but despite returning the phone, he didn’t let go of her, and continued to look at the hand he held.</p><p>“Izumi-san..?” The girl called out.</p><p>Izumi then held the manager’s hand tighter, but not enough to hurt her. “You should have called for me.”</p><p>“But—“ the girl’s brow knitted, but before she could finish her sentence, Izumi cut her off.</p><p>“At times like this, you’re supposed to depend on me! Got that? I don’t care how minor the problem is, but if it's something I can fix then just tell me instead of handling everything on your own!”</p><p>In that instant, tears started welling up in [y/n]’s eyes. It wasn’t because of Izumi’s scolding, but due to the built up frustration that came from the client. She was the manager, and it was her job to make things easier for the idols, yet here Izumi was, sacrificing one of his rest days just so a client could get off her back.</p><p>On the other hand, seeing the girl cry definitely shocked Izumi. He’d never seen her show any signs of weakness in front of them, even during the times when he scolded her for whatever reason. She would always take everything into stride. So not knowing what to do with a crying girl, he awkwardly let go of her hand and slowly wrapped his arms around the girl’s form.<br/>He hugged her tightly, while pink slowly dusted his cheeks, not realizing that [y/n] too started blushing by the sudden intimate gesture. Her head gently cradled to Izumi’s chest.</p><p>“Seriously, stop crying alright? It’s annoying seeing you like that.” He said, though the words seemed harsh, [y/n] felt the care in Izumi’s words. “Don’t think too much about that crappy client. I’ll report this to the president and Aoba so stop overthinking things alright?”</p><p>[y/n] didn’t respond, but instead, she nuzzled her head on Izumi’s chest as she clung on to the back of his shirt, cherishing the comforting warmth from the male’s hug. This in turn made the male smile gently.</p><p>Izumi then realized and admitted in that moment that he truly wanted [y/n] to be his. He wanted to be that person this girl could lean on no matter what, but most of all, be the person that makes her smile the most.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Sunday soon arrived, and [y/n] accompanied Izumi to the project from the problematic client.</p><p>When they arrived at the location and met face to face with the said client, Izumi stopped his manager from trying to apologize for what happened. If anything, Izumi wanted this client to eat dirt, but for [y/n]’s sake, he decided otherwise and decided to do a decent job instead. Of course, the client was oblivious to Izumi’s hostility toward them the entire time, seeing how the only thing that mattered to them was that they had an idol from Knights to promote their product.</p><p>If anything, the project wasn’t anything difficult for Izumi. It was just a 20 second commercial, and with his experience even during his high school days, the shoot had finished earlier than expected. This allowed both Izumi and [y/n] to spend some time together for the rest of the day.</p><p>Originally, if the stupid project never popped up, Izumi was already planning on having [y/n] spend her Sunday with him, but because of the job, he didn’t have to ask the girl out anymore. Of course [y/n] knew nothing about Izumi’s plans and insisted that the male should just rest for the remainder of the day, yet with Izumi’s great persuasion skills, saying something along the lines of “how the hell are you going to give a convincing rating of me being a great boyfriend if we don’t even go out on dates?”. The manager had no choice but to give in, and here the two were, strolling along the nearby park and enjoying the scenery.</p><p>As the two walked side by side in silence, [y/n] saw a bench nearby the koi pond. She told Izumi that she wanted to sit there for a while to watch the fish and rest for a while, which the male eventually complied to and jokingly said, “How the hell are you tired when all you did was sit and watch me during the commercial shoot?”</p><p>[y/n] of course tried to counter the male. “That’s just mean! I also had to check the footage afterwards!! Not to mention I had to rush a lot of paperwork since you just accepted that project right off the bat!”</p><p>“Yeah yeah, whatever.” Izumi shrugged at the girl as they reached the bench</p><p>The two then sat side by side in silence. It wasn’t the awkward type of silence, but the comforting type where the two can just enjoy being near the presence of each other.<br/>Izumi of course tried to sneak in some glances towards his dear manager, and he was lucky enough not to get caught seeing how she was so engrossed in watching the koi swim around the pond.</p><p>Then without looking at the male, [y/n] spoke up, “Thanks Izumi-san... for helping me out with that client.”</p><p>When [y/n] didn’t hear any reply, she turned her sights toward Izumi only to receive a flick on the forehead.</p><p>“Hey! What did you do that for!” The girl yelped as she rubbed her forehead.</p><p>“You thanked me like a thousand times already! It’s getting annoying.” He told her off. “And stop being so formal around me!”</p><p>The girl pouted. “But I’m already calling you by your first name.”</p><p>“Remove the honorific, you sound stupid.”</p><p>The girl only rolled her eyes playfully at the male, enjoying every moment like this, but at the same time, she knew that she also had to put a halt on things before things escalated any further. Before her feelings escalated any further, but before she could do so, Izumi suddenly spoke up again.</p><p>“We should just end this.” His voice was soft, but it was enough for the girl to hear.</p><p>His sudden words brought shock to the girl, not knowing what to reply. Despite her wanting to cut off any growing affection that started to grow within her, why did Izumi’s sudden words hurt her?</p><p>“W-what do you mean ‘end this’” She asked.</p><p>Suddenly it was Izumi’s turn to be surprised. Apparently his earlier words weren't meant to be heard by her, but apparently it slipped from his lips.<br/>He couldn’t help but stare at the girl as he tried to form a reply, an explanation that would best describe what’s swirling in that head of his. Yet all he could do was give her the simplest and most blunt answer he could give without realizing how it broke his manager’s heart.</p><p>“I want quits on this fake relationship.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I want izumi to fite all my problematic clients for me AHAHAH</p><p>anyways~ sorry for the long update! Life has been hectic with work and all that... anyways future updates might also take a while to upload so im really sorry! :(((</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The news of Izumi breaking off his dating set-up with [y/n] spread instantly to the other Knights members even without the male speaking up about it. It was rather obvious for everyone in the unit that something had happened between the two, seeing how stifling the air was whenever Izumi and [y/n] were in the same room. Everyone else had also noticed how the two stopped seeing each other outside of work. But the icing on the cake was how Izumi instantly got ticked off when Ritsu spoke up about it.</p><p>
  <em>“Secchan really isn't cut out to be in a relationship.” The raven haired male said with a yawn, and in that very instant, Izumi had suddenly snapped.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Yeah, I get it already! So could all of you just shut up! Though the male always had something snappy to say, the vibe and tone of this one was rather different. It was much more hostile and his eyes had a matching piercing glare to it. “It’s already annoying how this stupid dating thing already wasted so much of my time!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>And with that, the male left the room while slamming the door on his way out.</em>
</p><p>After that, everyone in the unit stopped speaking about the issue, except for one, Arashi. It wasn’t like she did it for fun or for gossip, but she genuinely felt guilty seeing how she did meddle in the two’s relationship by baiting Izumi into the fake dating scenario. All she wanted was a slight push for her friend so that he can finally be honest with his feelings towards their manager, but in the end, all it caused was a rift between the two.</p><p>So now here Arashi was in a shared dressing room with Izumi where the two were prepping for their joint photoshoot. She knew if she didn’t speak up about the issue now, then nothing will ever be resolved about it.</p><p>“You know Izumi-chan, I can’t believe that you’ll be leaving again in just a few days! It’s going to be hard having all five of us together again while you’re in Florence.”</p><p>The silver-haired male only rolled his eyes at his friend’s dramatic demeanor while he continued to put on some powder on his face. “Four days exactly.” Izumi stated, referring to the number of days he had left in Japan. “And seriously, you make it sound like I’ll never come back. I practically go back here whenever Knights have work together.”</p><p>The blonde only pouted at Izumi’s snarky remark. “But is four days even enough?”</p><p>At this point, Arashi turned away from the mirror from the vanity table she sat at to look at Izumi who sat right behind her. His back was still facing her as he busied himself with his hair.</p><p>The male on the other hand only sighed at Arashi’s question.<br/>“Of course it is. Every second I have in the next four days is already accounted for in my schedule.”<br/>And that wasn’t a lie. He made sure that the next four days would be allotted for work and nothing else. He needed to keep himself busy to keep out the thoughts that had been plaguing him the past few days. Just four more days and he wouldn’t have to see [y/n] in person anymore, just four more days so that she wouldn’t be uncomfortable within his presence.</p><p>As the male kept on thinking about the coming days and his crumbling relationship with his manager, he ended up missing Arashi’s next question, which led the said person to try and catch Izumi’s attention once more.</p><p>“Izumi-chan!”</p><p>“What!?” Izumi then turned to face Arashi, glaring at the blonde for disrupting his thoughts.</p><p>“I said, aren’t you going to talk to [y/n]-chan before you leave?” Arashi asked.</p><p>“Why the hell do I need to do that?” Izumi knew what Arashi meant by talk, and he also knew how he’s been trying to avoid the issue by making sure he didn’t have to interact with his manager in the next few days as much as possible unless it was for work. “There's nothing for us to talk about anyway.”</p><p>As Izumi was about to turn around again to face the mirror, he suddenly stopped midway by what his friend said.</p><p>“But are you sure? With [y/n]-chan leaving and all?” When the male didn’t respond, Arashi took this as a cue for her to continue. “She’s leaving on your last day you know? She hasn’t told anyone else, and I don’t think she has any plans on doing so…”</p><p>“If she hasn’t told anyone, then why the hell do you know about this?” Izumi eyed his friend closely, making sure that she wasn't playing with him.</p><p>“Well, I happened to overhear her conversation with Aoba-senpai when I was looking for her.” Arashi defender herself while she crossed her arms over her chest. She knew that look Izumi was giving her, and she wasn't going to let him intimidate her. “So if I were you, and you want to fix this mess, you better go and talk to [y/n]-chan and be more honest with yourself! Or else you might never get the chance to see and talk to her ever again!”</p><p>With that, the blonde turned her back on the male and continued fixing her make-up. Izumi paused for a moment before doing the same and muttered under his breath, “Tch. There’s nothing for us to talk about.”<br/><br/></p><hr/><p><br/>Despite what Izumi wanted to believe, he ended up looking for the girl’s whereabouts after his job with Arashi. He tried calling her, but apparently she never picked up or the line was busy which only paranoid the male even further. The time he finally got a hold of her was during the day before his last work day, which also happened to be [y/n]’s last day based on Arashi’s intel.</p><p>When [y/n] saw the fuming Izumi walk towards her in one of ES’ hallways, she wouldn’t be lying that she wanted to run away then and there. She wasn’t ready to face Izumi alone after what happened in their last… date? If that was the proper term, and she was also definitely scared of being in the presence of an angry Izumi Sena, but rather than prolonging her agony, she decided to just face him.</p><p>“Oi! Where the hell were you? Do you know how many times i tried to call you?!” Izumi yelled at her.</p><p>“Sorry, Sena-san! I was just busy and I kept on forgetting to call you back!” The girl said as she hid behind her folders.</p><p>Then she was back to calling him with his last name.</p><p>Izumi knew that some level of closeness he had with the girl would eventually end with him ending their setup, but a part of him hoped that maybe his dear manager would continue calling him by his first name.<br/>The male thought about it countless times, that if only he had properly explained what he meant when he ended things, the two of them wouldn’t be like this, that they could continue living the life they had a few days ago without the pretense of a false relationship, but one of genuine love.</p><p>Izumi just sighed, thinking that there was no point in regretting the past after all.</p><p>“Could you stop hiding behind your folder? You look stupid.” He said as he crossed his arms over his chest. “And what do you mean you forgot to call me? I practically called you more than 8 times! All those attempts combined cost me 40 minutes of my time you know? You better not be slacking off at your job.”</p><p>“Right… Sorry about that.” The girl mumbled as she lowered the folder from her face.</p><p>Izumi already knew the real reason why the girl hadn’t called him back, which was her trying to avoid him, but here she was now in front of him, and he had to take his chance to somewhat fix things before he leaves.<br/>Yet he suddenly fell silent trying to find the words to say to her, leaving him to glare at the ground, as if it was at fault for everything that had happened.</p><p>As if noticing internal conflict within him, [y/n] couldn’t help but to speak up just to remove the awkward silence between them.</p><p>“So… did you need anything from me?” She tilted her head trying to get a better look at the male in front of her. Izumi in turn looked back at her.</p><p>Izumi in turn just sighed again. How many times has he done that actually? He couldn’t remember, but all this awkward silence, all this mess, just practically everything was irritating him and he just wanted to get it over with. But how exactly? He ended up scratching the back of his head and told the girl in front of him. “Just go with me to my job tomorrow.”</p><p>He turned his back to walk away from her not explaining anything once again. [y/n] on the other hand tried to catch up to the male.</p><p>“W-Wait!” She caught Izumi’s arm to stop him from walking away. The male in turn was shocked by the sudden contact. His eyes looking at the hand that held his arm, then his gaze shifted to the owner of the hand that tried to speak up. “I don’t think I can go with you tomorrow for your job, plus it’s not like I’m needed there so…”</p><p>“Why?” Izumi stared at her. His free hand held his waist as he continued to look down at her, hoping to read whatever was running in that head of hers.</p><p>“Well…” [y/n] avoided his gaze.</p><p>“Do the others need you?”</p><p>“No…”</p><p>“Paperwork then?”</p><p>“Not really.”</p><p>“Then I don’t see any reason why you can’t go with me.” He told her.</p><p>Based on his manager’s short replies, Izumi could tell that she was definitely hiding something. That of which he already knew, the girl’s resignation.</p><p>Izumi then gently tugged his arm out of [y/n]’s grasp, both instantly missing the contact. But before Izumi left the girl on her own, he slowly pulled his hand up and ruffled his dear manager’s hair. “I’ll see you tomorrow, you better not be late.”</p><p>And with that, he left the girl in the hallway, even more confused than ever.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Shuffle event with Izumi finally ended... how did yall fair? 830 daiyas later and Izumi came home skdjghkdjgdhsjgds</p><p>anyways!~ sorry for the long update and short chapter! next chapter should be the last!~</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>this chapter ended up longer than expected...<br/>anyways here is the final chapter!!~ enjoy!~</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was already late in the afternoon since [y/n]’s encounter with Izumi that day. The poor girl was still confused on why the male had suddenly demanded her presence for his work, when he himself told her that he won’t be needing her assistance for the remainder of his stay.<br/>She remembered how the idol had made a clear line between them the day after he ended their fake relationship. How things between them just started spiraling down from there.</p><p>Up until now, [y/n] still wonders what went wrong. It wasn’t that she was expecting anything to happen between her and Izumi, but the feelings that resided within her grew significantly in that short amount of time they had spent together. She wondered that maybe if she didn’t just leave that day after he ended things, that maybe if she tried to talk it out with the male, then maybe things wouldn’t be so awkward between them.</p><p>As she kept walking and let these swirl of thoughts run in her head, she didn’t notice the person walking towards her and bumped into them.</p><p>“Ah! Sorry! I wasn’t looking” the manager instantly apologized to the person they bumped into, not realizing that said person was none other than Leo.</p><p>“[y/n]-chan!!~” the male instantly engulfing the girl in a tight embrace. The girl returned the gesture, lightly patting the male’s back.</p><p>Leo then released the girl from his hug, but not completely letting her go and holding her at arm's length. “Are you feeling better?”</p><p>The girl was surprised by the male’s sudden question, not knowing where it came from. She looked at Leo, his mouth forming a pout as he waited for her answer.</p><p>She slowly nodded at his question, but the male just eyed her even more intensely than earlier. His eyes squinted this time as if to show that he was trying to read her, but the pout on his lips never left.</p><p>Seeing how the girl had nothing to add to her answer, he eventually let her go and crossed his arms over his chest, but the pout still visible in his features as if he was a child throwing a tantrum. “Hmm… [y/n]-chan’s really bad at lying.”</p><p>“I’m sorry…?” If [y/n] was shocked by Leo’s earlier question, she was even more so with his new statement.</p><p>“You know you can always tell me if Sena is being a big meanie.”</p><p>Then it all clicked.</p><p>Leo might be an all over the place type of guy, but he was definitely really observant about the people around him, especially those he deems important to him, so it would only be natural for the male to notice sudden changes between her and his dear friend Izumi.</p><p>[y/n] couldn’t help but smile at the concern the male had for her, but she wanted to sort things out on her own, that’s why she already made <em>that</em> decision.</p><p>“Thanks Leo-san, but I’m fine. Really.” She tried to smile, but it wasn’t enough to reach her eyes, and she knew that the male in front of her knew this as well.</p><p>Leo on the other hand couldn’t help but sigh and return the evident pout on his face. He knew he shouldn’t force things if the person didn’t want to, but he also didn’t want things to be left on their own, so the male just decided to take the middle ground by talking and giving some advice to his manager.</p><p>“Sena is a really big meanie.” He said as his pout faded into a much more serious expression. “But that’s because he’s not good at expressing himself.”</p><p>[y/n] continued to listen to Leo, surprised by his sudden change in demeanor.</p><p>“But even if he’s a meanie, Sena always cares about those important to him, so you have to say you care about him too!” Leo’s voice is a mixture of concern and pleading.</p><p>“Leo-san” the manager was unsure of what to say, not knowing where this side of Leo had suddenly come from.</p><p>“If you don’t tell him… If Sena continues being a meanie then… I feel like one day the aliens will take you far away from us.” At this point, Leo had stopped looking at his manager and opted to look at his shoes instead, unsure if what he said was enough to somehow fix the rift between Izumi and [y/n].</p><p>This time it was Leo’s turn to be engulfed into a warm embrace. The action definitely shocked the male.</p><p>“[y/n]-chan!! You can’t hug me or else Sena might murder me!!”</p><p>The girl only laughed while she let Leo go. “So you can hug me, but I can’t do the same?”</p><p>Leo only pouted at the girl in response.</p><p>“But thanks, Leo-san.” She smiled at him, this time a much more genuine one. “And don’t worry, the aliens won’t take me away, I promise!”</p><hr/><p>When the following day came, [y/n] didn’t expect Izumi to be waiting for her outside her apartment.<br/>When the manager tried to question the idol about it saying that he could have just waited for her in ES Building, the male only shrugged and replied, “I’m making sure you don’t run away.”<br/>Then the idol walked away heading towards the car provided by ES, not bothering to wait for the girl’s reaction.</p><p>The drive headed towards Izumi’s work was relatively quiet. It was honestly tense and awkward for the majority of the ride with how [y/n] constantly tried to avoid eye contact with Izumi who sat beside her, all the while, Izumi kept on looking at his manager’s general direction.<br/>The male definitely wanted to clear out the air, but he didn’t know how. Not to mention the fact that Izumi didn’t want the driver to eavesdrop on their conversation, which left the male to just glare daggers at the driver. Thinking that if said driver wasn’t there, he could have already confronted [y/n]. This in turn became the worse drive the driver had experienced while working for ES</p><p>Luckily enough for the group, they finally arrived at the studio where the photoshoot would be held.<br/>Before entering the building, [y/n] bid the driver goodbye and stated that she’ll contact them once Izumi needs to head back to ES. Once she was done, she was surprised to see Izumi still waiting for her by the entrance.</p><p>“What?” The male asked, noticing [y/n] subtle surprised expression.</p><p>“I just thought you went ahead…” the manager replied as she scratched the back of her head, still avoiding any possible eye contact from the male.</p><p>Izumi in turn noticed this. He knew how much the girl had been avoiding him, and as much as he wanted to confront her at this exact moment, he couldn't afford to be late for his last job in Japan. The male turned around facing the entrance of the studio and entered it, deciding to drop the issue for later, prolonging his agony. [y/n] followed the idol inside the building seeing how the conversation between them was over.</p><p>When they were finally inside the specific studio room for the shoot, the two went on to do whatever they had to do.<br/>[y/n] greeted the director, thanking them for the opportunity, and afterwards, the manager went to greet the rest of the staff. Izumi on the other hand went straight to the dressing area. The costume designer and make-up artist greeted the male, and briefed him about the needed look they had to execute for the shoot.</p><p>The entire time Izumi was prepping in the dressing area, his line of sight constantly went to where [y/n] was in the studio. There were even times when the make-up artist had to scold the male for subtly turning his head once in a while whenever Izumi couldn’t see [y/n]’s reflection from the mirror. The idol ended up glaring at the make-up artist for scolding him, which in turn, made the make-up artist shut up.<br/>It wasn’t like Izumi was doing it on purpose after all. He just couldn’t help but be paranoid about the day, specifically about his manager. He felt like if the girl was out of his sight for even a moment, she’d eventually disappear.</p><p>Luckily for the male though, the studio wasn’t that big, so it was easy to keep track of where the manager was in the room.</p><p>Once Izumi was done with his make-up and outfit change. He immediately headed for the set, while stealing glances towards his manager on the way. The girl on the other hand was oblivious towards the male’s action as she busied herself reading a couple of papers which were probably related to the current shoot.</p><p>When the cameraman saw that Izumi was ready, the employee briefed the idol on what poses and looks they hoped to capture before starting the photoshoot. Izumi on the other hand absorbed all the information instantly, which wasn’t a problem for him, but he did everything right at that moment with utmost urgency, giving short replies, nods, and instantly taking action on whatever the director or cameraman had asked for.<br/>The male really wanted to finish the work as soon as possible so that he could finally get the chance to speak with his manager, so that he could finally end this annoying agony.</p><p>During the shoot however, Izumi got so absorbed in his work that he didn’t notice [y/n] leave the room. The idol only realized once the cameraman and director started reviewing the photos they had taken.<br/>Seeing how the girl was nowhere to be found, Izumi instantly left the set without a word from the director and had asked a nearby staff on [y/n]’s whereabouts.</p><p>“Oi! Have you seen my manager?!” Izumi asked the random staff carrying a tray with a few cups of water which almost spilled due to the harsh tone the idol had used.</p><p>“S-She went out 10 minutes ago, sir!”</p><p>Izumi clicked his tongue at the staff member’s answer, not realizing how long [y/n] had disappeared. The fact that he couldn’t even see her things anywhere made it worse, so the idol had instantly left the room at that moment while the staff members tried to call out for him, saying that the shoot was about to resume, but for once, the male couldn’t care less about it. For once, he was going to flake out on his schedule just to look for his manager.</p><p>
  <em>‘Did she really get tired of me?’</em>
</p><p>
  <em>‘Where the hell is she?’</em>
</p><p>
  <em>‘This is so annoying! Why the hell am I even doing this?’</em>
</p><p>
  <em>‘Please…’</em>
</p><p>The thoughts swirling inside Izumi’s head as he rushed out the building was going downhill. He had asked the guards along the way if they had seen his manager, and the response was just the same each time.</p><p>“She just left building moments ago, sir”</p><p>At this moment, Izumi was standing frantically at the entrance of the studio building. He looked around hoping that maybe [y/n] was somewhere nearby, that maybe she just needed some air, but sadly there were no traces of her.<br/>The male then tried to contact her phone, but just like the past few days, everything was left unanswered.</p><p>“Shit…” he clenched his teeth, as he stared at the phone in his hand, constantly reading the name that appeared on the screen, along with their photo:<em> [y/n]</em></p><p>Izumi was falling apart, and he knew it was his fault.<br/>When he was about to call the girl again, he suddenly heard her voice from the side calling out his name.</p><p>“Sena-san? What are—“</p><p>Before she could finish her sentence, Izumi had engulfed her in a strong warm embrace. He feared that once he let her go, she’d disappear on him again, and he couldn’t bear that thought. Not ever.</p><p>“S-Sena-san! W-what are you doing?” The girl was obviously surprised by the sudden physical contact from the male.</p><p>“Don’t you dare leave me.” Izumi whispered on the crook of her neck. The girl's eyes widened sudden demand, not knowing how to take in what the male had said.</p><p>Izumi then held the girl at an arms length, his hands gripping her shoulders. His eyes gazing at hers, making sure that he’s the only one she sees at that exact moment.</p><p>“You’re not getting rid of me that easily, you got that!”</p><p>“What are you…?” The girl asked, not knowing where this was coming from. After all, their relationship became tense all of a sudden, making them avoid each other, but now? What does Izumi’s words actually mean?</p><p>Seeing how the girl seemed rather confused by what he said, Izumi couldn’t help but feel irritated, thinking that she was merely acting clueless at that time.</p><p>“Stop playing dumb, stupid! I know that you’re resigning, and I’m not going to allow it! You got that?” He straight up told her, seeing how being direct was the best way for the girl to understand.</p><p>“Resign??” [y/n]’s brows furrowed, clearly shocked by Izumi’s statement. “Who said I was resigning?”</p><p>This time it was Izumi’s turn to look clueless.</p><p>“What do you mean who said? You practically left the studio without telling me! You were planning on leaving without telling anyone aren’t you!? I also know that you’ve been talking to Aoba about it a few days ago! Naru-kun even heard—“ then Izumi paused, and in that instant, the male let go of the girl and started scratching his head in irritation. “Shit! Don’t tell me Naru-kun tricked me into her crap again!”</p><p>This was the first time [y/n] has witnessed the male to be so flustered about anything ever, that it took her a moment to absorb Izumi’s initial words. Then it was at that moment the gears in [y/n] head started to turn and realized what Izumi was talking about.</p><p>“Oh my god…” she whispered realizing that Izumi, and maybe Arashi, had misunderstood the situation. “S-Sena-san please calm down.”</p><p>“Huh? How the hell am I going to calm down?!” The male yelled at her.</p><p>The girl only pinched the bridge of her nose trying to find the best way to explain everything. “Arashi-chan didn’t trick you. I think?”</p><p>“Huh? The hell does that mean? So you <em>are</em> leaving?”</p><p>“Yes… and no.” [y/n] replied, still trying to find the best explanation.</p><p>Izumi on the other hand crossed his arms as he glared at the girl, waiting for her clarification. Seeing this, [y/n] just decided to say whatever she can to clear up the situation at hand.</p><p>“I’m not resigning.” She sighed once, and continued. “If Arashi-chan overheard me and Aoba-san’s conversation, I think she might have misunderstood what we were talking about.”</p><p>“And how the hell is that?” Izumi asked.</p><p>“Well…” [y/n] tried to formulate her words. “I’m honestly not sure but… the thing I was talking about with Aoba-san wasn’t my resignation, but temporary leave.”</p><p>“Temporary leave?” Izumi's frown deepened.</p><p>The girl in turn only nodded and said, “I wasn’t really planning to at first! But with what happened between us…” the girl’s voice suddenly got softer. “I felt that I needed some time to think, and because of it, I also realized how tired I’ve been from constantly working, so I talked to Aoba-san if it was alright for me to take a break.”</p><p>Then the two were silent. Izumi tried to absorb what the girl had said, and it honestly did make sense. What he didn’t understand was one thing.</p><p>“Then what about you suddenly leaving the studio? Did you really want to get away from me?” He asked glaring at her.</p><p>“What? Of course not!” The girl responded instantly. “There’s no way I’d ever want to stay away from you! I just—“</p><p>At the realization of what [y/n] had said, suddenly the two mimicked each other’s expressions, wide eyes and cheeks tainted pink.</p><p>Since [y/n] couldn’t take back her words, she just continued whatever she had to say while covering the lower half of her face with the back of her free hand. “I just wanted to get a snack… so I went to the nearby convenience store…”</p><p>Izumi then noticed the girl was holding a plastic bag with the said convenience store’s logo, but his sight went back instantly to [y/n]’s flustered face.</p><p>The male couldn’t help but find her expression rather cute. The way she tried to avoid any form of eye contact from him at that moment didn’t hurt him at all, because this was different compared to her avoidance the past few days.</p><p>“Hmmm..?” Izumi smirked at her, taking this opportunity to seize whatever he can. “I didn’t think you’d be so attached to me, [y/n]-chan.”</p><p>“I-it’s not like that! It’s just—“ and before [y/n] could finish whatever she could say, Izumi instantly took hold of the back of her neck, pulling her closer as he leaned his forehead on hers.</p><p>“Just what?” He peered at her eyes, making sure she only looked at him. “Tell me. How exactly do you feel about me? I won’t let go until you say everything, got that?”</p><p>The girl tried to avoid the male’s gaze, but she couldn’t do so with the extremely close proximity. To say that her cheeks now were comparable to the shade of an apple was an understatement, and with their lips so close from touching, it was hard to contain the blush on her face.</p><p>“I… I really like you, Izumi...” she said softly, but loud enough for the male to hear.</p><p>At the sound of his name and her confession, Izumi held the warmest and gentlest smile he’s ever had, looking at the girl in front of her with complete adoration.</p><p>“Good.” He told her. “Now close your eyes for me.”</p><p>The girl did so, her body stiffening a bit thinking that the male would finally close the gap between their lips, only to feel Izumi let go of her and pat her head.</p><p>The disappointed look on the girl’s face was evident once she opened her eyes, making Izumi laugh.</p><p>“What? Were you expecting something else?”</p><p>“W-what!? N-no! It’s just—“ the manager tried to hide her embarrassment, which sadly was an utter failure thanks to her stuttering, but she was instantly silenced when she felt Izumi hold her free hand.</p><p>“Just think of it as punishment for avoiding me the past few days.” He smirked at her, the girl in turn only pouted, her cheeks still visibly red from everything that was happening.</p><p>Then all of a sudden, Izumi lifted the hand he held toward his lips, giving a quick kiss on the knuckles of [y/n]’s hand.</p><p>“But rest assured, from this day on, my time and my entire being is yours, princess.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Izumi literally said "no kissing, only teasing s/o" while everyone in the studio waits for them to come back AHAHAHAH</p><p>anyways!~ thanks to everyone who read and waited for each chapter!~</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I initially got the idea for this story when i read somewhere in the enstars wikia on how enstars boys will be on going out on an date (i think it was a valentines article, but im not entirely sure since i read it like months ago and my memory is hazy) AND YALL IZUMIS WAS SOMETHING LIKE</p>
<p>“HE GOES EVERYTHING BY SCHEDULE, HE’LL MOST PROBS ONLY SPEND TIME WITH YOU DURING INBETWEEN WORK BREAKS”</p>
<p>And i practically lost it and said “yall i gotta write something about this” AHAHHA.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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